Beyond Drugs: TB Patients in Bangladesh need Urgent Attention for Nutrition Support during Convalescene

This study measures the nutritional status (using Body Mass Index or BMI) of TB patients before, at two months, and after completion of TB treatment (DOTS) to study the changes during treatment and its relation with various socioeconomic and demographic factors including household food availability and consumption. Malnutrition among TB patients during treatment is a serious problem impeding rapid recovery and should be given due attention. We strongly suggest to include nutrition education and supplementation component in TB DOTS programme, and thereby, helping in speedy recovery and reducing the risk of mortality and morbidity among TB patients.